Analysis of the Pressure Pulsation and Vibration in a Low-Specific-Speed Centrifugal Pump

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baoling Cui ◽  
Yingbin Zhang ◽  
Yakun Huang

Abstract Unsteady pressure pulsation and fluid force induced by flow instabilities in the centrifugal pump is an important cause of vibration, which is detrimental to the safe operation of the pump. In this study, we numerically investigated the pressure pulsation and radial force in a low-specific-speed centrifugal pump by using the detached-eddy simulation method. We also performed a vibration displacement experiment on the shaft of the centrifugal pump. The vortex identification method was introduced to clarify the internal correlation between unsteady flow structures with pressure pulsations. The results showed that the pressure pulsations at the impeller outlet were closely associated with the periodic vortex shedding from the blade pressure surface. The rotor–stator interaction between a relatively big trailing vortex core and volute tongue generated larger pressure pulsation and radial force in the pump at a low flow rate. Under a large flow rate, the trailing vortex core was easily broken and dispersed, and this resulted in smaller pressure pulsation and radial force compared with that at a low flow rate. Under the design flow rate, the pressure pulsation intensity and the radial force in the impeller were smaller than that under the off-design flow rate. Compared with the spectra between the radial force on the impeller and radial displacement on the shaft, they both presented higher amplitude at the shaft frequency. The vibration of the pump shaft was closely related to the radial force on the impeller.

2012 ◽  
Vol 152-154 ◽  
pp. 935-939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Fu ◽  
Shou Qi Yuan ◽  
Rong Sheng Zhu

In order to study the rules of pressure fluctuation and the radial force under different positions in a centrifugal pump with low specific speed, and to find the relationship between each other, the three-dimensional ,unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-stokes equations with shear stress transport turbulent models were solved. The pressure fluctuation was obtained. The results showed that the pressure fluctuations were visible. The pressure fluctuations in the volute were relatively low at the design flow rate condition. The blade passing frequency dominates the pressure fluctuations, high frequency contents were found on the outlet of impeller but no high frequency information occured in casing. The radial force on the impeller was unsteady especially at the small flow rate.


Author(s):  
Can Kang ◽  
Ning Mao ◽  
Chen Pan ◽  
Yang Zhu ◽  
Bing Li

A low-specific-speed centrifugal pump equipped with long and short blades is studied. Emphasis is placed on the pump performance and inner flow characteristics at low flow rates. Each short blade is intentionally shifted towards the back surface of the neighboring long blade, and the outlet parts of the short blades are uniformly shortened. Unsteady numerical simulation is conducted to disclose inner flow patterns associated with the modified design. Thereby, a comparison is enabled between the two schemes featured by different short blades. Both practical operation data and numerical results support that the deviation and cutting of the short blades can eliminate the positive slope of pump head curve at low flow rates. Therefore, the modification of short blades improves the pump operation stability. Due to the shortening of the outlet parts of the short blades, velocity distributions between impeller outlet and radial diffuser inlet exhibit explicitly altered circumferential flow periodicity. Pressure fluctuations in the radial diffuser are complex in terms of diversified periodicity and amplitudes. Flow rate influences pressure fluctuations in the radial diffuser considerably. As flow rate decreases, the regularity of the orbit of hydraulic loads exerted upon the impeller collapses while hydraulic loads exerted upon the short blades remain circumferentially periodic.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 168781401982590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Yu-cheng Jing ◽  
Xiang-hui He ◽  
Hou-lin Liu

In order to enhance the efficiency of centrifugal pump, the structure of a centrifugal pump with vaned diffuser, whose specific speed is 190, was numerically improved by trimming back-blades of impeller and smoothing sharp corner in annular chamber. The energy performance, the internal flow field, the axial force, the radial force, and the pressure pulsation of the pump were analyzed. Results show that efficiency of the improving scheme 1 under the design flow rate is 77.47%, which can balance 69.82% of the axial force, while efficiency of the improving scheme 2 under the design flow rate is the maximum, which could still balance 62.74% of the axial force. The pressure pulsations of the improving scheme 2 at the typical monitoring points are less than that of the improving scheme 1 and the original scheme. The difference of the radial force peak between the improving scheme 1 and the improving scheme 2 is very small. The vector distributions of the radial force of the improving scheme 1 and the improving scheme 2 are more uniform than that of the original scheme. Considering the efficiency, pressure pulsation, and axial force, experiment measurements on the improving scheme 2 were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the improvement result. Results of energy performance experiment show that efficiency of the improving scheme 2 under the design flow rate is 76.48%, which is 5.26 percentage points higher than that of the original scheme.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengshuo Wu ◽  
Peng Wu ◽  
Dazhuan Wu

Abstract The existence of secondary flow in the impeller brings extra energy loss and aggravates the pressure pulsation which will worsen the hydraulic and dynamic performance of the pump. In this paper, based on the forces balance in the direction perpendicular to the streamline, an optimal design method for the blade thickness of a low specific speed centrifugal pump is proposed to suppress the secondary flow in the impeller. The origin impellers with 5 and 7 cylinder blades are redesigned and the hydraulic and dynamic performance of the model pump are investigated by numerical simulation and experimental. Results show that the blade modification proposed in this paper can effectively improve the efficiency of the model pump and reduce the internal pressure pulsations. The internal flow analysis shows that the performance improvement attributes to the suppression of secondary flow in the impeller. And the entropy generation rate is introduced to measure and locate the loss in the pump. Results show that on the one hand, the suppression of secondary flow can reduce the energy loss in the pump and improve the efficiency; on the other hand, it can repress the jet wake structure at impeller outlet and alleviate the intensity of pressure pulsations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Gao ◽  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Zhong Li ◽  
Dan Ni ◽  
MinGuan Yang

The blade trailing edge profile is of crucial importance for the performance and pressure pulsations of centrifugal pumps. In the present study, numerical investigation is conducted to analyze the effect of the blade trailing edge profile influencing the performance and unsteady pressure pulsations in a low specific speed centrifugal pump. Five typical blade trailing edges are analyzed including original trailing edge (OTE), circle edge (CE), ellipse on pressure side (EPS), ellipse on suction side (ESS), and ellipse on both sides (EBS). Results show that the well-designed blade trailing edges, especially for the EPS and EBS profiles, can significantly improve the pump efficiency. Pressure amplitudes at fBPF and 2fBPF are together calculated to evaluate the influence of the blade trailing edge profile on pressure pulsations. The EPS and EBS profiles contribute obviously to pressure pulsations reduction. In contrast, the CE and ESS profiles lead to increase of pressure pulsation amplitude compared with the OTE pump. Vorticity distribution at the blade trailing edge demonstrates that the EPS and EBS profiles have an effective impact on reducing vortex intensity at the blade trailing edge. Consequently, rotor–stator interaction could be attenuated leading to lower pressure pulsation amplitude. It is thought to be the main reason of pressure pulsations reduction obtained with the proper modified blade trailing edges. The results would pave the way for further optimization of the blade trailing edge profile.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4767 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Zhao ◽  
Fanyu Kong ◽  
Yisong Zhou ◽  
Bin Xia ◽  
Yuxing Bai

To improve the hydraulic performance in an ultra-low specific speed magnetic drive pump, optimized design of impeller based on orthogonal test was carried out. Blades number Z, bias angle in peripheral direction of splitter blades θs, inlet diameter of splitter blades Dsi, and deflection angle of splitter blades α were selected as the main factors in orthogonal test. The credibility of the numerical simulation was verified by prototype experiments. Two optimized impellers were designed through the analysis of orthogonal test data. The internal flow field, pressure fluctuation, and radial force were analyzed and compared between optimized impellers and original impeller. The results reveal that impeller 7 (Z = 5, θs = 0.4θ, Dsi = 0.75D2, α = 0°) could increase the head and efficiency, compared to the original impeller, by 2.68% and 4.82%, respectively. Impeller 10 (Z = 5, θs = 0.4θ, Dsi = 0.55D2, α = 0°) reduced the head by 0.33% and increased the efficiency by 8.24%. At design flow rate condition, the internal flow of impeller 10 was the most stable. Peak-to-peak values of pressure fluctuation at the volute tongues of impeller 7 and impeller 10 were smaller than those of the original impeller at different flow rate conditions (0.6 Qd, 1.0 Qd and 1.5 Qd). Radial force distribution of impeller 10 was the most uniform, and the radial force variance of impeller 10 was the smallest.


Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bowen Li ◽  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Xiaoqi Jia ◽  
Feng Chen ◽  
Hua Fang

Pressure pulsations may cause high-amplitude vibrations during the process of a centrifugal pump. The trailing edge shape of the blade has a critical influence on the pump’s pressure fluctuation and hydraulic characterization. In this paper, inspired by the humpback whale flipper, the authors research the impact of applying the sinusoidal tubercles to the blade suction side of the trailing edge. Numerical calculation and experiments are carried out to investigate the impact of the trailing edge shape on the pressure pulsations and performance of a centrifugal pump with low specific speed. Two designed impellers are tested, one is a sinusoidal tubercle trailing edge (STTE) impeller and the other is the original trailing edge (OTE) prototype. The detailed study indicates that the sinusoidal tubercle trailing edge (STTE) reduces pressure pulsation and enhances hydraulic performance. In the volute tongue region, the pressure pulsation amplitudes of STTE at fBPF decrease significantly. The STTE impeller also effectively changes the vortex structure and intensity in the blade trailing edge area. This investigation will be of great benefit to the optimal design of pumps.


Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Minguan Yang ◽  
Bo Gao ◽  
Zhong Li ◽  
Dan Ni

In centrifugal pump, due to intense rotor-stator interaction, high amplitude pressure pulsating would be induced, and it has a crucial influence on the stable operating of the pump. In this paper, a low specific speed centrifugal pump is investigated to illustrate unsteady flow within the centrifugal pump. Pressure pulsation signals are attained by mounting 20 monitoring points along the spiral volute, covering all the interested region of the model pump. FFT (Fast Fourier Transform algorithm) is applied to analyze the time-domain pressure signals. Results show that in pressure spectra, evident peaks at blade passing frequency fBPF together with its high harmonics can be identified, and the amplitudes are closely associated with operating conditions of the model pump and the positions of the monitoring points. At nominal flow rate, four vortical regions with high amplitude are captured inside the model pump. And the unsteady vortical structure at the near tongue region is related to the relative position of the impeller with respect to the tongue, and the upstream effect of the volute tongue significantly affects the vorticity distribution on the blade pressure side. At off-design conditions, the interaction pattern between the vortical structure and the volute tongue is significantly affected compared with that at the rated condition, as to the upstream effect of the tongue. At high flow rate, partial vortex would separate from the main vortex, but at low flow rate, the cutting and impingement effects of the tongue are much weaker due to almost all the vortex moving to the narrow side of the tongue. Based on the analysis of rotor-stator interaction in the model pump, some conclusions could be obtained. Pressure amplitudes at fBPF are associated with the positions of monitoring points and operating conditions of the model pump. Vorticity magnitude at blade exit increases as the impeller passes the volute tongue. And the fluid-dynamic blade-volute interaction is dominated by the vorticity shedding from blade trailing edge and their impingement on the volute tongue with subsequent cutting and distortion. And high pressure amplitude is generated with the corresponding high vorticity magnitude observed. So the intense interaction between flow structures (jet-wake pattern) and volute tongue is crucial to unsteady pressure pulsation. Thus, to lower pressure pulsation amplitude and fluid dynamic forces, controlling the vortical structure at blade trailing edge is an effective method.


Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Bo Gao ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
Dan Ni ◽  
Guoping Li

Effects of the staggered blades on unsteady pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump with a specific speed ns=147 are investigated by the numerical simulation method. The obtained results are compared with the original blades. To clarify the resulting effects, eight monitoring points are used to extract pressure signals at three typical working conditions, and component at the blade passing frequency fBPF is emphasized. Results show that the pump efficiency and head will be reduced by the staggered blades, and at the nominal flow rate, the reduction is about 1.5% from comparison with the original blades. For all the eight points, the staggered blades contribute to the reduction of pressure amplitudes at fBPF when the pump works at three flow rates. The averaged reduction is 15.5% at the nominal flow rate. However, the negative effect on the second harmonic of fBPF will be caused by the staggered blades, and the corresponding pressure amplitude will increase at 2fBPF. It means that the pressure pulsation energy will be redistributed among the discrete components in pressure spectrum by the staggered blades. From the TKE distribution, it is found that the TKE values on the blade pressure side will be significantly affected by the staggered blades.


Author(s):  
Dong Liang ◽  
Zhao Yuqi ◽  
Liu Houlin ◽  
Dai Cui ◽  
Gradov D Vladimirovich ◽  
...  

In this research, super-low specific speed centrifugal pump ( ns = 25, Chinese units: ns = 3.6 nQ1/2/ H3/4) is studied. The effect of the front streamline wrapping angles variation (135°, 139° and 145°) of the turbine on energy performance is considered. The pressure pulsation, interior and exterior noise characteristics and the performance of the impeller are thoroughly evaluated both experimentally and numerically. The pump has been modeled by means of computational fluid dynamics code of commercial software ANSYS CFX 11.0 to estimate energy performance and pressure pulsation. Boundary element method and finite element method are used to investigate the interior and exterior noise characteristics of the centrifugal pump by varying the front sweep angle. The front sweep angle variation was found to have insignificant influence on centrifugal pump performance characteristics. However, it influences fluid hydrodynamics around the volute tongue. In addition, the decreasing of the front streamline sweep angle slightly reduces the sound pressure level for the exterior acoustics, but the radiation distribution of the acoustic field does not change. In its turn, the modified trailing edge of the blades can reduce the peak value of the superposition decreasing the pressure pulsations at the blade passing frequency and its harmonic frequencies.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document